Sprout House private kindergarten runs from 8:30-2:45. There are a maximum of 8 students with one teacher.
Sprout House Kindergarten uses an emergent curriculum that is both play-based and place-based. A play-based curriculum allows children to use their creativity while developing their imaginations, dexterity, and physical/cognitive/emotional strengths. A place-based curriculum takes its inquiry methods from science. The teacher adjusts lessons based on what is happening around them, such as seasonal change, animal behavior, or construction equipment in use outside. The kindergarten children engage in twice-daily outdoor exploration in the school’s side yard and in the public park and woodlands adjacent to the school. In fact, the majority of kindergarten playtime takes place outdoors, where children build a personal connection with the natural world.
At Sprout House, our goal is to nurture the “whole child,” focusing on the five major areas of development: creative, cognitive, physical (fine and gross motor), social, and emotional. The greatest emphasis is on the child’s social/emotional growth: regulating emotions, engaging in meaningful relationships, developing empathy, maintaining, and enhancing a positive self-image, following routines, taking turns in conversations, gaining independence, stimulating curiosity and lengthening attention spans through thoughtful investigation.
The academic portion of our program follows the N.J. Student Learning Standards for Kindergarten.
Language Arts: We have 4 main components, which the School District of the Chathams uses.
- Wilson Reading and Writing (Fundations K-3): Skills are presented in a systematic and sequential manner, combined with a variety of text experiences. See more at https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/programs/fundations/overview/curriculum/
- Words Their Way: A phonics program that utilizes interactive sorting that allows children to group words or pictures representing certain specific sounds into categories.
- Good Habits, Great Readers: A shared reading program that develops reading comprehension skills.
- Daily Writing Journals
Math: our math program is Big Ideas Math (Cengage Learning), which is also used by the School District of the Chathams. Big Ideas Math promotes students’ conceptual understanding and fluency in math. See more at About Big Ideas Learning | K-12 Math Programs.
Science: Sprout House kindergarten develops a child’s proficiencies in locating, using, and extending information that the children discover during play. They seamlessly move from the concrete–such as blocks, acorns, or ice–to the abstract by discussing what they observed and pouring over classroom non-fiction literature, such as nature guides on birds, mammals, and plants, or books about weather or inclined planes.
We also teach music and art each day.
Our small class and hands-on experiences provide a home-like setting and plenty of chances for each child to ask questions. Our teacher is good at “differentiation,” making sure the instruction meets each child at their appropriate challenge level, learning style, and personal interests.
